Alex Johnston’s pursuit of Ken Irvine’s all-time premiership record and Alofiana Khan-Pereira’s record sprint to a half-century of first-grade four-pointers have put rugby league’s try-poachers in the spotlight recently.
We’re truly in a golden age of potent tryscorers, with seven of the top 13 in the NRL era – ranked by tries per game (minimum 50 tries) – currently causing opposition defences headaches in 2025.
Alofiana Khan-Pereira – 53 tries in 53 games (1.00 per game)*
Dazzling Gold Coast winger Khan-Pereira equalled Semi Radradra’s NRL-era record of reaching 50 tries in just 52 appearances when he dotted down against Manly in Round 15.
The flyer has shown a remarkable proclivity for racking up multiples, scoring two or more tries on 17 occasions – including a club-record-equalling four against the Warriors last year.
Khan-Pereira smashed the Titans’ season tryscoring record with 20 as a rookie in 2023 and advanced that mark to 24 tries in 2024.
Maika Sivo – 104 tries in 115 games (0.90 per game)
A Penrith reserve-grader, Sivo debuted for Parramatta as a 25-year-old in 2019 and racked up 22 tries.
The Fijian powerhouse reached the century mark in just 114 games, crossing for 20 tries in as many appearances in 2023 and 17 tries in a mere 12 games last year before heading to Super League.
Sivo chalked up seven NRL hat-tricks – including four in a match twice – but he tore his ACL before being able to take the field for Leeds Rhinos this season.
Alex Johnston – 206 tries in 236 games (0.87 per game)*
South Sydney stalwart Johnston has become just the second player to score 200 tries at a remarkable clip, starting with 21 tries in just 18 games as a premiership-winning rookie in 2014.
A stint at fullback slowed his strike-rate, but since the start of 2020 he has crossed 123 times in only 114 games – including becoming the first player to score 30 tries in a season twice in 2021 (22 games) and 2022 (25 games).
Johnston’s four-try haul against Melbourne in Round 16 (in a losing team, no less) saw him equal Frank Burge’s and Ken Irvine’s premiership record for most hat-tricks with 16, while he is just seven tries from erasing Irvine’s iconic mark of 212 tries from the record books.
Semi Radradra – 82 tries in 94 games (0.87 per game)
Barnstorming Parramatta winger Radradra was a possible candidate to take down Irvine’s record before he switched to rugby union in 2017, aged just 25.
As well as crossed for a ridiculous 24 tries in 18 games for an Eels team that missed the finals in 2015, Radradra bagged doubles in five consecutive games (including one hat-trick) that year and dotted down 10 times in his last five NRL games before hopping codes.
Dominic Young – 70 tries in 84 games (0.83 per game)
It hasn’t all been smooth sailing for the rangy Englishman during his five seasons at Newcastle and Sydney Roosters and – as of a few weeks ago – back to the Knights again, but he can certainly find his way across the stripe.
Young scored 25 tries in as many games during the Knights’ 2023 charge and bagged 20 tries from 22 games after switching to the Roosters the following season. He also scored nine tries in his first four Tests for England at the 2022 World Cup.
Israel Folau – 73 tries in 91 games (0.80 per game)
It’s easy to forget Folau only played four seasons in the NRL, such was the three-quarter’s impact in two-year stints with Melbourne and Brisbane.
Folau scored 21 tries in 27 games as a grand final-winning rookie for the Storm in 2007, while he preceded a switch to the AFL by scoring 20 tries in 20 games for the Broncos in 2010. He also scored six tries in eight Tests for Australia and seven tries in eight Origins for Queensland.
Josh Addo-Carr – 149 tries in 192 games (0.78 per game)*
‘The Foxx’ has rarely been off the scoresheet in a highlight-stacked career with Wests Tigers, Melbourne, Canterbury and Parramatta that began in 2016. He scored 23 tries in 27 games to help the Storm to the 2017 title and 23 tries in just 22 games in his farewell 2021 campaign with the club.
He has nine career hat-tricks – including becoming the first player to score six tries in a match since 1950, for Melbourne against Souths in 2021 – and is just one try away from becoming the fourth-fastest player in premiership history to 150 tries, behind Harold Horder, Irvine and Johnston.
Addo-Carr has also been prolific at rep level, scoring 11 tries in 15 Origins for NSW and 13 tries in a mere seven Tests for Australia.
Suliasi Vunivalu – 86 tries in 111 games (0.77 per game)
The athletic Fijian scored 23 tries in each of his first two NRL seasons, 2016 (21 games) and 2017 (26 games). His first seven tryscoring performances in the NRL were all multiples – including two hat-tricks – while he scored four against Manly later in 2016.
Dual premiership winner Vunivalu scored 12 tries in just 10 Tests for Fiji, too, before taking up a deal with Super Rugby outfit Queensland Reds at the end of 2020.
Jason Saab – 71 tries in 98 games (0.72 per game)*
Beanpole winger Saab burst onto the scene with a run of 26 tries in just 21 games during Manly’s free-scoring 2021 campaign.
His strike-rates in subsequent seasons have been comparatively modest but he remains one of the NRL’s more potent try merchants.
Brett Stewart – 163 tries in 233 games (0.71 per game)
The highest-ranked fullback on this list, ‘The Prince of Brookvale’ was an extraordinary attacking talent who scored 14-plus tries in nine seasons – including 21 in as many games in 2006 and 22 in 24 games as the Sea Eagles surged to the 2008 title.
Stewart scored a phenomenal 87 tries in 98 games at Brookvale Oval, including five of his six career hat-tricks.
Ronaldo Mulitalo – 89 tries in 125 games (0.71 per game)*
The combative Sharks flyer has backed up the bravado and sledging from tryscoring point of view, scoring 17-plus tries in each of the past three seasons – including a career-high 21 from 23 games in 2023.
Mulitalo’s roll has slowed somewhat this season, crossing just six times in 15 games so far. He finally bagged a maiden NRL hat-trick in Round 19 last year against Manly.
Xavier Coates – 69 tries in 98 games (0.70 per game)*
Coates scored a moderate 17 tries in 32 games for Brisbane from 2019-21, but he realised his potential on the end of Melbourne’s backline with 52 tries in just 66 games.
The aerial specialist already has seven hat-tricks for the Storm, including four in a match against the Warriors in 2022.
Ryan Papenhuyzen – 74 tries in 106 games (0.70 per game)*
The only player on this list besides Stewart who didn’t play at least a large proportion of their career on the wing, Melbourne fullback Papenhuyzen’s frequent injury setbacks have masked a remarkable tryscoring strike-rate.
Papenhuyzen was an interchange regular early in his career but has scored an outstanding 70 tries in 86 games at fullback. He scored 14 tries in the 2021 (15 games) and 2022 (12 games) seasons, while he has scorched over 12 times already in 14 appearances in 2025.
The quicksilver No.1 has scored four tries in an NRL match on three occasions.